'Immigration policy won't erect barriers'

The UK has no plans to erect barriers or close doors on Indian business but it wants to deliver controlled immigration with a faster and fairer system as part of its new policy.

worldUpdated: Aug 23, 2010 11:08 IST

PTI

The UK has no plans to erect barriers or close doors on Indian business but it wants to deliver controlled immigration with a faster and fairer system as part of its new policy.

This is what Immigration Minister Damian Green will tell Indian entrepreneurs during his three-day visit to the country commencing on Monday.

The minister will meet education sector and senior business representatives to take forward dialogue as part of the broader consultation process on the UK's immigration policy.

During his time in Delhi, the Minister will meet Vayalar Ravi, Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs; Anand Sharma, Minister of Commerce and industry; Mullapally Ramachandran, Minister of state at the Ministry of Home Affairs; and Preneet Kaur, Minister of State at the External Affairs Ministry.

Green will also visit Chandigarh where he will thank the Punjab Government for its cooperation with the UK on migration.

Ahead of his visit, Green said: "When Prime Minister David Cameron came to India at the end of last month, he came with a clear purpose - to take the UK-India relationship to a new level, to make it 'stronger, wider, deeper'. This ambition was warmly welcomed by our Indian counterparts and friends.

"As Britain's Minister for Immigration, I recognise that I have a key role in taking this new enterprise forward. I look forward to using my visit to explain the changes under way in the UK's immigration system and the reasons for them."